Occupant support system

ABSTRACT

Human support systems for one or more of the safety, convenience, comfort of the user.

REFERENCES

This application incorporates herein by reference and claims priorityfrom the applications Ser. Nos. 11/639,088 (United Statescontinuation-in-part); 60/928,040; 60/962,077; 60/960,067; 60/960,067;60/960,620; U.S. Provisional filed Dec. 17, 2007.

SUMMARY

The Drawings illustrate embodiments of the occupant support systems manyof which provide safety and utility in vehicles particularly underdynamic loading conditions. The key attribute of the invention is thatthe inertial loaing of the occupant in the occupant support reorientsthe occupant support to ensconce the occupant and protect the occupant.It also usually facilitates the deployment of a larger surface area forthe support o the occupant thereby reducing the local loading of theoccupant surface.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

AirSleeper Embodiments—Aircraft and Spacecraft

FIGS. 1 and 2. Illustrate an embodiment of the Air Sleeper under normalconditions in the flat bed position.

FIG. 3 is in a recline position:

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the impact condition while in the reclineposition.

The following key describes the parts of this Air Sleeper embodiment.

A—Head rest mounting rail. This rail is inclined so that as the uppersection of the seat slides up the head rest comes closer to theoccupant's head. thereby allowing the fine position adjustments on theheadrest to position it adjacent to the head to provide support. On theother hand as the occupant lies flat the head rests will slide along theinclined rails to be at the edge of the sleeper surface. The shockabsorbers may be adaptive in their resistance parameters to account forthe position of the sleeper as well.

B—headrest. The headrest is on shock absorbers that allow them to movesideways relative to the occupants head in the event of a vehicledeceleration. These shock absorbers may be linear or rotational or both.The Shock absorbers are mounted in some embodiments on a rail that isinclined so that when the occupant is flat the head rests are on theside of the sleeper, where as when the occupant is upright it providessupport to the head and is adjacent to the head. There will of course beadjustments for position that are allow motion of the head rest surfacesregardless of the position of the shock absorber and the mounting rail.

C—Support rail below and along edge of the air sleeper and positioned tobe rearwards of the Air Sleeper relative to the motion of the aircraft .. .

D—Lower section of the Air Sleeper is horizontal in the flat position.

E—The Mid section of the Air sleeper has a side wing that supports theoccupant in the event of a significant deceleration.

F—An entertainment screen may be installed on the mid section side wingso that it folds back when not in use. The Dynamics of the Air sleeperare such that the occupant is unlikely to hit the screen head on in theevent of a deceleration of the aircraft. It may be folded back and insome embodiments into the side wing of the mid section. It may also havea rotational stop to prevent forward rotation beyond the orthogonalposition to the Air Sleeper.

G—Cross slide that supports the air sleeper mid section on the rightside (of the occupant) in this embodiment.

H—Upper body side support.

I—The pivotal support of the screen ensures that the in the event of arapid deceleration the support of the screen in the deployed positionviewing decouples and it swings on this pivoting axis thereby movingaway from the occupant.

J—Telescoping support rail (through these holes and axial to theoccupant but now shown for clarity) supports the cross slides that movealong its axis to flatten the sleeper from the upright position and viceversa. The telescoping action retracts the rail from obstructing thelower section of the Air Sleeper and the legs of the occupant frommoving laterally in the event of a deceleration of the aircraft. Ji isthe telescoping section of J that will retract as the sliders Q slidestowards the head of the Air Sleeper. The retraction is designed to besufficient to ensure that the foot rest and the legs of the occupant canswing to the side without contacting the rail J.

Q shows the sliders attached to the ends of the two cross slides thatslide on the Rail J.

FIG. 6, 7 show some elements removed for clarity (but identifiersretained in their positions mark these positions)

The double sliders that are attached to the support slide L and M thatare part of the AirSleeper frame. The other ends of the double slidersslide on the horizontal rail N as the AirSleeper changes posture.Similarly the sliders P slide on the cross slide G during inertialloading of the Air Sleeper. The slides themselves slide at their ends onthe rails C and J as the occupant changes posture. The sliders R areattached to the upper end of the back rest of the Air Sleeper and slideon the slides S that are part of the Air Sleeper frame.

Dynamic Child Seat Embodiments

FIGS. 8 and 9 show different views and FIG. 10 shows the view withoutthe outer shell. FIG. 11 illustrates the movement under loading.

1A—Shows the cross section difference between the upper and the lowershock absorbers where the width represents the stiffness (they may alsobe of different materials or construction) to accommodate the whiplashor rear impact or acceleration loadings in a seat.

1B—Shows the cross section difference between the Front and back shockabsorbers where the width represents the stiffness (they may also be ofdifferent materials or construction) to accommodate the side impactloadings.

Notably in a flat position as in a sleeper that is substantiallylaterally oriented to the direction of an acceleration, the sameprinciple holds with regard to the “side” impact or accelerationloadings where side still refers to the orientation with regard to theoccupant.

1C—Narrow section or softer shock absorber embodiment at back of seat orsleeper.

1D—Inner shell next to body. Moves as shock absorbers deform. May beperforation resistant material.

1E—Broader section or stiffer shock absorber embodiment at front ofseat.

1F—The outer shell may have a bottom to provide vertical support for theinner shell. Many embodiments will slidably attach the Inner and Outershells at the bottom either directly or through shock absorbers. TheOuter shell may be rigid or have controlled distortion with loading.

FIGS. 12, 12A, 13, 14 illustrate an embodiment for the head support inanother embodiment of a dynamic child seat. This comprises a pair ofhead pads and a support structure. Considering that there is a largelateral force on the head pads during side impact on the vehicle wherethe seat is located facing forward or backwards, there is a need forsignificant strength. Designs to date in the background art use a widestructure that is static. Such a structure obstructs the view and thehearing of the occupant child and more over as it is static can onlydeform to the extent of padding placed on its inner surface. In contrastthe present invention has a narrow head rest support that is located tobe lower than eye level for the child in most cases and therefore allowsan uncompromised view out of the occupant support as the head pad thatmay be designed as shown to minimize obstruction of vision. Moreover thestructure also allows the head pad to have holes to minimize hearingloss for the child while in the seat.

The low profile of the head rest support is possible because of the widecross section that can support the shear loading on the member duringimpact. This contrasts with all designs to date.

The head pads and head rest support are designed as may be seen in thesefigures to allow the pad to move towards the head rest support duringlateral impact. Such movement as may be seen will result in the padsrotating inwards to ensconce the head and prevent it from flying out tohit another surface. The region between the head pads and the head restsupport in many embodiments will have a spring damper structure. In someof these embodiments this will take the form of a foam pad thatcompresses. The front of the head pads may be pivoted or simplysupported relatively rigidly by the headrest support.

Finally the head rest support may have a pivotal support at the back ifthe seat to allow a limited tilt to accommodate the head better duringimpact. Otherwise it is rigidly attached at the back to the occupantsupport—the child seat in this case.

2A—illustrates the space between the head pads and the sides of the Headpad Support which may have foam or other compressible and shockabsorbing material with spring damper properties that will allow thepads to fall back into the recess of the support thereby rotating andensconcing the head. FIG. 12 A shows the motion.

2B—shows the wide profile of the support to resist the lateral forces.Moreover, this wide support reduces the need for a high support that canreduce visibility and hearing for the child. Structurally, the widesupport is more efficient in terms of mass and weight of the material ofthe support and would therefore result in a lighter head support.

2C—illustrates the head pad. It will usually be covered with comfortfoam or pneumatic bladder for air support.

2D—Pivotal or stiffer support of the Head pad towards the front edge ofthe head pad.

2E—Holes to reduce hearing loss on headpads. Notably as the headpads aresupported by the Headpad Support and are therefore do not have criticalstructural strength requirements and can be fabricated to be thin. Thespace between the Headpad and the Support allows sound transfer.

2F—the upper edge of the Headpad is shaped to be below the eyes of theoccupant to minimize visual impairment.

The following figures show an alternative embodiment for controlling themotion of an inner, movable shell for the occupant.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show the “flex plates” that are an embodiment of thelateral spring dampers or shock absorbers. These are designed to flexduring a lateral impact to absorb energy from the movable inner shell.The flex plates are rigidly mounted on one end to the outer shell (inthis embodiment the framework of the outer shell) and are attached atthe other end to sliders that slide on slides attached rigidly to theinner shell.

The Figures show fixed and movable slide plates that are attachedrespectively to the fixed outer shell and to the movable inner shell.They are pivotally attached at the front end of the seat to allowsliding motion. The pivot at the front of the seat allows the seat torotate during side impact to maximize the lateral displacement of thehead thorax and pelvis. Notably the slide plates apply a moment and alateral force on the seat thereby balancing the forces applied by flexplates along the height of the seat. The background art does not haveembodiments with a front pivot with this required compensation withsliding arrangements.

FIG. 16 shows the slides that are attached to the inner shell. A, B, C,D. These engage the sliders on the Flex plates to allow the seat torotate and the back if the seat to move laterally during impactloadings.

FIG. 16 also shows a shoulder brace that ensconces the shoulders duringa lateral impact.

FIG. 17 shows the slide plate on the movable inner shell and also thelocations for the slides attached to the inner shell.

FIG. 18 shows the slide plate on the inner shell.

Notably the slide plates as shown in the above figures are designed toflex or bend about the pivot (about a lateral axis) in the event of thefront impact thereby allowing the head of the seat to move forward.

2G—illustrate the Flex Plates. These are made of a flexible materialthat has spring damper properties. Some embodiments may have layers thathave flexible and deforming materials to absorb energy. The Flex Platesare rigidly attached to the outer shell and are slidably attached to theinner shell.

2H—illustrates a fixed slide plate on which the movable shell slides.

2I—is the pivot or axis for the seat. The axis alone cannot effect theangular movement of the seat as the loading is substantially above thelocation of the pivot point. The pivot in some embodiment may be a boltin a bearing sleeve.

2J—Slides that are rigidly attached to the inner shell.

2K—Shoulder brace

2L—Slider contact supports attached to the Flex Plates.

2M—Rigid mount for Flex Plates on the fixed shell.

2N—Slide Plate on the movable inner shell.

FIG. 19 shows an arrangement for some embodiments for front impacts.Considering that it is preferable to have a lower peak acceleration ofthe head and upper body of the child in the child seat/occupant support,the “Bunge Sling” is designed to flex or bend to absorb energy andreduce the peak acceleration during a front impact. This along with theslide plates bending or flexing about their pivot will allow the seatand the thorax and head of the child to project forward during impactthereby reducing the peak acceleration. This is the first such designusing a moving inner shell attached with flexible or damping materials.The Bunge Sling may be mad of layers of materials that deform and thosethat flex to get the right combination for the spring damper properties.Other embodiments may also use the Bunge-Sling as noted herein.

2P—Fixed Outer Shell

2Q—Movable inner shell

2R—Bunge Sling (Opened under impact conditions.)

The Bunge Sling may be made of strips of flexible material or ofmaterials that will go beyond their plastic state and bend or acombination of both to get the right spring damper properties.

FIG. 20 shows features related to the embodiments of FIG. 7-10. Here the“support for the inner shell” may be of a soft material such as foam,but are designed to support the inner shell to the outer shell duringnormal operation and either flex or detach to allow the inner shell tomove as needed under impact conditions. Some embodiments may have thelength (I) of the supports greater than the width (w) such that if theydetach and fall over they facilitate a space between the inner and outershells.

FIGS. 21, 22 show yet another embodiment -Bottom view and back viewrespectively, with compression shock absorbers at the back with therequired angling to counter the couple resulting from the position ofthe center of mass of the child and support relative to the supports. Italso shows the connection means with sliding elements at the bottom anda connection means with at least one pivot and a rigid or shockabsorbing element.

Similarly the FIGS. 23, 24 show tension shock absorbers at the back withthe angling instead of the compression shock absorbers as in FIG. 21,22.

FIG. 25 shows implementation of the compression shock absorbers in FIG.21, 22 and FIG. 26 an embodiment of the bunge sling for front impact—anadditional connection means with a shock absorbing element.

3A—Connection means with at least one pivoting end and a rigid or shockabsorbing connection there between. Connected at one end to the innermovable shell and at the other to the fixed outer shell. This may takethe form of a spring loaded pivot or simply a pivot.

3B—Sliding contacts between the fixed outer and moving inner shells.

3C—Outer shell or frame

3D—Inner Shell

3E—Rear Spine fixed to the Inner movable shell

3F—Rear Spine fixed to the Outer fixed shell

3G—Compression shock absorbers (spring dampers)

3H—Tension shock absorbers (spring dampers)

3I—Bracket holding compression shock absorber to the fixed outer shell

3J—Spine holding compression shock absorber to the movable inner shell.

3K—Connection of Bunge-Sling to the Fixed frame or shell

3L—Connection of the Bunge Sling to the movable inner shell.

FIG. 27-29 show another embodiment of an occupant support for a child ina vehicle.

The annotations describe the operation and use of its parts.

4A—Bunge Sling that allows the seat to move forwards in a front impact.One side is firmly attached to the frame, the other side is attached tothe support of the vertical thrust bearings as shown.

4B—Moving Seat

4C—Reaction surfaces on moving seat guides fixed bearings. The surfacemay have a groove that accommodates a sliding pin to ensure that thereis limited vertical “lift” of the moving seat as it slides.

4D—bearing positioned to be as close to the vector of inertial loading(passing through the centre of Mass) in a lateral impact.

4E—Sliding surface of seat bottom

4F—Base with pivot at back to allow rear facing deployment. SupportFlanges (4M) can be set at different levels for changing the inclinationof the seat.

4G—Lateral Pivot axis for fixed shell or frame.

4H—Tether Loop

4I—Slot with spring dampers that can control the movement of the bearing(4K)

4J—Vertical reaction bearing support with slots and spring loading toaccommodate pulse loading at impact.

4K—Bearing (ride on groove on back of moving seat)

4L—Lateral Brace supporting reaction bearings

4M—Support flanges can be locked at different positions on gear (notshown) on base for rear facing deployment at the required angle.

FIG. 35 Shows embodiment of a dynamic child seat. The position of theseat shell is during impact and is shown rotated away from the sideimpact direction. It also shows the placement of the frame on the baseand the notch that engages the frame for lateral stability. The pillowpads that support the head laterally and the rear head rest are notshown but the rotated positing of the seat shell shows the left side armof the head assembly ensconcing the head in the impact position.

FIG. 36 shows the embodiment of the dynamic child seat with theattachment to the tether marked and the slide bar shown with one or morepins that engage a sliding surface on the seat shell to allow rotationabout the impact rotation axis. The pins (not shown) (which may bespring mounted) limit vertical motion of the seat shell. It also showsPairs of feet on either side support the frame in front. A lateral bar(not shown) engages the slot shown and is spring loaded to be in therear position of the slot normally in can be drawn forward manually tothe front of the slot to disengage one of the multiple slots in the twotowers attached to the base thereby changing the height of the front ofthe frame and the resulting inclination. And the pivot for inkling theseat frame particularly in the rear facing position.

FIG. 37 shows the dynamic child seat frame. The Upper and lower channelshown house spring damper assemblies—one on each side.

The Upper edge of one or both the channels that support the springdamper assembly has a slightly inclined top surface with a lower frontedge so that when the pin or flange attached to the seat and supportingthe Spring damper assembly rises on the side away from the impact it iscaptured by the slot preventing a rocking of the seat and channeling theenergy to rotation about a near vertical axis. Also shown is the slotthat houses a front brace that has a sliding surface and a pin both ofwhich rides on a sliding surface coaxial with the impact rotation pivotshown. The pin engages the slot in the surface to prevent verticalmotion of the seat at its edge during impact. This pin may be springloaded to return the impact energy if raised, to the seat for itsrotation. Also shown is the Pivot-impact rotation axis that may have aspring mount to allow a short axial displacement for redeploying theinitial impact loading that can tend to rotate the seat about ahorizontal axis.

FIG. 38 shows the end of the upper channel that provides the reactionsurface for the spring damper assembly during rotation of the framefollowing side impact.

FIG. 39 shows the cavity for metal reinforcement that is an extension tothe tether support. The metal strip extends in this embodiment to wrapover the lower pivot hinge. This provides a rigid connection between thetether and the pivot rod at the bottom that is connected to the latches.

FIG. 40 Dynamic Child Seat—Headrest Height Adjust Arm. 1. The actuationlever in the normal position will be away from the back of the headassembly support stalk and be depressed towards the head rest supportstalk to disengage the pins and move the head rest.

2. In other embodiments, with the pins located between the actuationlever and the pivot the normal position of the actuation lever will benext to the head assembly support stalk and be pulled out to disengagethe pins.

In case 1. above a safety catch can be created (either pivotally orslidably attached to the stalk or the lever to fall between the stalkand the lever and color or marks indicating this position for safety.

In case 2. A safety catch may be pivotally or slidably attached to thestalk to capture (with a loop) the lever for the safe position codingbeing visible.

The Pivot for the height adjustment arm would usually be spring loadedto engage the socket holes in the normal position. The pivot in thisembodiment is on the head assembly support stalk. However it may also besupported on the seat shell with multiple sets of holes on the headassembly support stalk to allow different heights.

The Actuation lever is shown.

Pins engage corresponding holes in the head rest support stalk to whichthe height adjustment arm is attached. It also engages multiple sets ofsuch holes on the sheath on the seat shell containing the head assemblysupport stalk, thereby allowing multiple positions for the height of theseat support stalk on the seat shell.

FIG. 41 Dynamic Child Seat—Head Assembly support stalk. Shows:

Pivot for attachment of the headrest height adjustment arm

Pivot support for attachment of the rear head rest. The rear headrest ispivoted to allow greater conformity with the rear of the head and neck.

The ends of the side arms support the pillow-pads (not shown) thatprovide lateral support for the child's head and face. Many embodimentsallow the attachment to be pivoted about a substantially vertical axisso that it can tilt back on side impact thereby containing the head.

Pin holes (not shown) will be arranged in a line to accommodate the pinson the headrest height adjusting arm. These same pin holes will engagemultiple sets of holes on the sheath at the back of the seat shell toallow multiple positions of the Head Assembly Supports stalk on the Seatshell.

FIG. 42 Dynamic Child Seat—Seat shell assembly. Shows:

Pins that may engage one or both sides of the sheath on the seat shellhousing the head assembly support stalk.

Inner edge of spring damper assembly which is secured to the seat shell.Some embodiments have a flange that engages the slot on the frame with asmall clearance.

Headrest height adjustment arm

Position in some embodiments of the right spring damper assembly.Similar assemblies will be on the left and at the lower position asindicated on the frame.

Head assembly support stalk

FIG. 43, 44 Dynamic Child Seat—Base. Shows:

Notches that capture frame in lowest (front facing) position

Pivot for tilting the frame when seat is in the rear facing position

Pair of towers with notches that engage a lateral bar on the frame fordifferent inclinations of the frame on the base. The frame will pivot onthe rear Pivot

Sides beveled for car seat shape

FIG. 45 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Sling Assembly. Shows:

The Bunge Sling that stretches out on front impact to damp acceleration.Rear center of Bunge sling is attached to the frame.

The Bunge Pin that slides inside Bunge Pin Slot attached to seat shell.On side impact the pin slides out. On front impact the pin engages theslot to provide a reactive force. Some embodiments of the slot have adepression on the inner surface of the slot that the pin will move intoon motion of the slot forward on front impact, thereby securing the pinfurther in the slot.

FIG. 46 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Sling Assembly. Shows:

Bunge slot that engages Bunge pin during front impact and allows thebunge pin to slide out of the sides during a side impact.

Bunge slot has a cut out to avoid contact with the headrest heightadjustment arm

Support of the Bunge slot to the seat shell straddles the head assemblysupport stalk and its housing on the seat shell.

FIG. 47 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Sling. Shows:

Each of the two side that in their center attach to the frame and theseat shell respectively.

One or more points for securing bunge sling some embodiments use a holeand securing pin.

The sides of the Bunge sling stretch out as the two support points arepulled apart. The materials are designed to provide energy absorptionand elastic properties to minimize injury for the occupant.

FIG. 48 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Slot. Shows:

The depression in this embodiment engages the Bunge Pin on front impactto secure it further. The normal position of the Bunge pin will notengage the depression.

Support points on Shell. Bunge slot is secured at points that straddlethe head assembly support stalk. In other embodiments it can be securedcloser to the center if slots are created in the head assembly supportstalk.

Cut out prevents contact from the head rest height adjustment arm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention provides an architecture to reorient the occupantin a vehicle support to present a so larger surface area for thereaction force to be distributed, thereby causing less injury and in thecase of moderate loadings greater comfort. The architecture worksequally well for the seat or a sleeper and all positions between thetwo. It also applies to architectures that have a variable orientationfrom sleep position to sit up position. It can be used in infant andchild supports in cars and also in sleepers in vehicles includingaircraft.

Vehicle Occupant Support—Air Sleeper.

The embodiment of the Air Sleeper presented is supported on a frame.This frame is designed to tilt as the occupant of the AirSleeperexperiences a lateral or near lateral (angled) inertial loading—often incrashes. In the event of the orientation of the airsleeper beingorthogonal to the axis of the aircraft there is a direct inertialloading on the occupant support that causes the tilting. If the AirSleeper is at an angle to the axis of the aircraft, the component of theinertial loading forces in the plane of the two slides cause themovement. The slides will usually have spring dampers to optimize theacceleration experienced by the occupant ion this transition.

-   -   The tilting is achieved by sliders P on cross slides G that        relocate the rear(with regard to motion of the aircraft) edge of        the AirSleeper forwards(relative to the motion of the aircraft)        and a set of slides L,M that are attached to the AirSleeper        frame and on which sliders K ride. Notably, the sliders K and        the and the cross slides G need to take different positions as        the occupant moves from a upright seated position to a reclining        position to a flat bed sleep position. This is achieved by        having:

-   1. The cross slides G attached to sliders Q that can slide along the    rails C and J that are along the axis of the occupant. Notably Rail    1 as a section J1 that collapses (telescoping) as the sliders Q move    up the rail. This is necessary to allow the legs of the occupant and    the footrest of the air sleeper to tilt sideways without contacting    the rail when under lateral inertial loading.

-   2. The sliders K to be double slides that can also slide on rail N    along the axis of the occupant. Many embodiments would only require    one of these double sliders. In the embodiment shown the slider K at    the head of the occupant simply pivots on a point support.

-   3. Having spring damper combinations on one or more of these    linkages to control the acceleration of the occupant.

The discretionary position of the occupant is controlled with thesliding of the sliders Q on the horizontal rails and the sliding of thesliders R on the slides S that are part of the Air Sleeper frame. Theslides S are shown to be near vertical in the normal position of the AirSleeper but they can take any inclination as long as they are locallyparallel with each other. The local inclination of the slides willdefine the discretionary postures that the occupant can choose.

The Side support head rests in the embodiment shown (some embodimentswill not have such a headrests) slide on inclined slides and a lateralslider that rides on a lateral slide on the top of the seat back. Thesemechanisms allow each of the side support head rests to move towards thehead in the seated position and move to the edge of the Air Sleeper inthe flat bed position.

The support surfaces of the Air Sleeper are below and on the forwardside (with regard to the motion of the aircraft).

The orientation of the air sleeper may be lateral to the aircraft orangled to the axis of the aircraft. If in an angled position the head ofthe occupant is ahead of the feet (in the direction of motion of theaircraft), The occupant will be pushed into the Air Sleeper on impactloadings.

The screen is shown to have a vertical pivot (in the normal position ofthe occupant ie without inertial loading). Notably the arrangementensures that the screen swings away from the occupant in the event of acrash or rapid deceleration. This can be ensured by having a rotationlock that prevents forward swing past the lateral orientation. If theAirSleeper is oriented to have the feet of the occupant ahead of thehead (in the direction of the aircraft) on impact loadings the screenwill swing away from the occupant. If the head of the occupant is aheadof the feet the screen can have a stop to prevent swinging forwardtowards the occupant.

Vehicle Occupant Support—Dynamic Child Seat

There are multiple alternative embodiments of the Dynamic Child seatversion of the present invention. The first set of embodiments of thepresent invention are related to the inventions of U.S. Ser. No.10/109,674 and EP 1325836. They relate to inertial loading of theoccupant and its support substantially lateral to the occupant and offera solution for reduction in injury with controlled reorientation of theoccupant. This family of embodiments use a plurality of connection meansto support the occupant support shell. The plurality of connection meanseach have a first end that is attached to the occupant support or aappendage to the occupant support. The plurality of connection means aredesigned to relocate these first ends in a plurality of directionsthereby reorienting the occupant in the occupant support when under aninertial loading caused by an acceleration of the vehicle. The distanceand direction of displacement of the first ends may vary among theplurality of connection means.

This paradigm for support provides a mechanism to provide controlledreaction forces in positions that can control the rotation andrelocation of the occupant under the expected range of inertial loadingconditions.

Some such embodiments may be as disclosed in 60/962,077 wherein theplurality of support means are flexible “fingers” of foam or otherdeformable material with the connection means including a slidingarrangement at one of the ends of the fingers in some cases. Theseembodiments will allow compression of the foam (which may havedifferential properties and/or cross section to vary the compression andresulting displacement) and distortion of the foam in some cases torelocate the first ends of the connection means orthogonal to the lengthof the “fingers”. While the notion of fingers is helpful forvisualization there is no limit in these embodiments to have separatefingers. For example there may be a continuous foam support that hasvarying properties that effectively provide a plurality of connectionmeans as well, as each of the sections of foam act differently on thesupport shell and occupant with their first ends relocated in aplurality of directions.

Another group of embodiments may be as disclosed in 60/960,067. Theseembodiments multiple sliding connection means some with shock absorptionmeans that relocate their first ends under controlled reaction forcesfrom the occupant support shell at suitable locations, such that theoccupant and occupant support is suitably relocated under inertialloading.

Another group of embodiments in this invention with a plurality ofconnection means with first ends that relocate the occupant support in aplurality of directions by providing controlled reaction forces insuitable locations on the occupant support to counter the inertialloading in a controlled manner. In these embodiments are discreteelements one or both of pivoted at the ends and a reaction force appliedin the direction between the first and second ends (compressive ortensile) of the connection means. These connection means may each haveshock tension or compression absorbing elements in them. The mechanicsof the invention will require that if there are more than one connectionmeans with a single pivoting end at any time they must have the samesingle pivoting axis.

Yet another group of embodiments may have a combination of two or moreof the above types of connection means to relocate the first ends in aplurality of directions.

One of the challenges in designing the appropriate occupant supports isto locate the two first ends of the connection means to define theinstantaneous axes for rotation and relocation of the occupant. There isof course never access to points of support in the interior of theoccupant and in many cases the front of the occupant and much of thesides need to be clear. Therefore it is necessary to create forces andmoments of forces with the available surfaces of contact with theoccupant support for the connection means. The direction of the forcesapplied by these connection means will also need to counteract momentsof inertial loading forces tending to rotate the occupant orthogonal tothe desired axis of rotation.

A second challenge particularly in child seats is the acute shortage ofspace for any mechanisms that can relocate or reorient the occupant.This space is usually between the seat surface and the mounts on theadult seat surface which can be from less than an inch to about 3″.

The present invention has several unique approaches to solve theseproblems. For example there is one embodiment that uses multiplecompression shock absorber with pivotal ends (at most one with a singlepivoting end) and a set of slidable connection means, that reorient thechild seat so that the open side of the seat at the front of the childfaces away from impact during impact. In this embodiment the connectionmeans with a single pivot is located as far forward as possible so thatthe movement of the head and torso of the occupant about a near verticalaxis though this pivot is maximized. As this can only be on the bottomof the seat, this introduces the problem of the distance of this supportpoint (first end for the connection means) from the center of gravityalong the desired axis. This distance is substantial and while such apivot in theory can support a normal torque (as assumed in thebackground art), without breaking, in practice the pivot acts like aball joint under heavy loading and therefore moments of forces need tosupplemented to keep the seat rotating about the desired axis or axes ofthe pivot over time. This embodiment uses two kinds of connection meansto solve this problem. First a compression, tension or even rigidconnection means with a pivot at the point of connection towards thefront end of the seat bottom. The other end of the connection means maybe fixed or also be pivotally supported about a vertical axis. The otherconnection means are compression shock absorbers that have their firstends attached to the central rear spine of the seat and inclined to beslightly downwards and/or slightly backwards usually this is possibleonly with a protruding support backwards from the spine. The second endis attached to an outer shell or frame of the child seat that isattached rigidly to the vehicle. In addition this embodiment hasconnection means with slidable elements that are located at the bottomof the seat with their first ends attached to the seat bottom behind thefirst compression/tension/rigid connection means and on either side ofit there is no significant surface ahead of it). This combination ofconnection means will reorient the child seat during a side impact withthe compression connection means and the sliding connection meansproviding reaction forces to counter the moment of the couple that willtend to rotate the seat orthogonal to the desired axis.

Another related embodiment uses tension shock absorber in the connectionmeans rather than compression shock absorber at the back of the seat.These are located such that the first ends are attached to the sides ofthe seat back and slightly forward and higher than the attachment of thesecond ends to the outer shell or seat frame along the rear spine ofthat structure.

In both the above embodiments the angle of orientation of the shockabsorbers will determine the reaction forces that they will apply tocounter the moment of the couple that will tend to rotate the seatorthogonal to the desired axis (near vertical in this case). Moreoverpairs of shock absorbers can be used for impact on the two sides. Theduring impact on one side, the shock absorber not in use may also insome embodiments of the invention decouple to provide more space forrelocation of the shell.

Moreover, in both the above embodiments the plurality ofcompression/tension shock absorbers may be placed—space permitting—onthe sides of the seat as well.

For these embodiments using the compression or tension shock absorbers,a further additional embodiment has a slider or rotary dial that engagesthe second ends of the shock absorbers thereby changing the total forcethey apply for different aged children. The mechanisms used for suchengagement of shock absorbers by a dial or slider are well known in thebackground art and can be simply be cut outs in the back of the dial orslide that allows free movement of the end of one or more shockabsorbers thereby disengaging them. They may however stay in locationwith a weak decoupling joint that fractures on impact.

Yet another related embodiment for a child seat uses connection meanswith a sliding element either alone or with one connection means with atleast one pivoting end at the front center of the seat. In addition tothe connection means with sliding elements at the bottom of the seat asin the above tow embodiments this embodiment ash slidable connectionmeans on the sides of the seat as well. That provide the desiredreaction forces to counter the moment of the couple orthogonal to thedesired instantaneous rotation axis near the front of the seat. Thedisclosures in 60/960,067 include examples of this.

Finally another related embodiment uses the “fingers” of compressibleand deformable foam with an optional connection means pivoted at one orboth ends near the front of the seat. The foam “fingers” may also haveeither of their ends attached to sliding elements as a part of theconnection means that is attached to the child seat or the outershell/frame.

The arrangement disclosed FIGS. 8-11 will move the occupant to face awayfrom the loading—or ensconce the body thereby providing a larger surfacearea of contact with the occupant support. This results in twobenefits—first the loading on the body per unit area is reduced. Second,the rotational reorientation ensconces the body to prevent it frommoving out of the occupant support. This is often the case under severeimpact loading conditions.

The arrangement has more rigid shock absorbing elements at the front ofthe occupant support and softer shock absorbing elements at the rear ofthe occupant support. This differential resistance from the shockabsorbers under loading can also be achieved by having shock absorbersof the same material but with different cross sections as shown in thefigures. Equally, materials of dissimilar properties with equal crosssections can be used and all combinations in between.

Each of the shock absorber elements may be slidably attached at one endto allow lateral movement of the inner shell relative to the axis of theshock absorber. As this may not be practical in some embodiments thelateral distortion of the shock absorption elements must be consideredfor such lateral loadings when rigidly fixed at both ends. If a slidableattachment is chosen these elements may not in some cases be engaged fortensile loadings but only for compressive loadings. Some embodiments mayuse end stops for the shock absorbers, particularly when they arefabricated from collapsible materials such as foams and aluminum orother hex cell core materials.

Head support: Some embodiments may have a separate head rest with sidewings having a microcosm of the same architecture tuned to the mass andrelated inertial loading of the head. This will require stiffer shockabsorbers at the front of the wings and softer shock absorbers towardsthe rear of the wings on each side of the head for side impactprotection so that the head is ensconced by the support. The headsupport may be mounted o neither the inner or outer shell. IF mounted onthe inner shell the shock absorber mechanism will augment the movementinduced by the main shock absorber system acting on the inner shell.

Anchors along rear spine of inner shell to the outer shell allow lateralmovement of the inner shell but limit forward movement for supportduring front impact.

In seats the same arrangement may be used to minimize whiplash injury.Narrow section or softer shock absorber embodiments allow greatermovement at the top end for whip lash protection.

Broader section or stiffer shock absorption embodiment's providerstiffer support for rear impact support

If there is a close spacing of the shock absorption elements and indeedif they are adjoining each other with differential properties, someembodiments may not even have an inner shell as the inner surface ofthese shock absorbers will provide the surface that contacts theoccupant. There may in other embodiments be a fabric or other thinflexible covering of the inner ends of the shock absorber elements.

IN application s where there can be intrusion in to the occupant spacethe inner shell may be constructed of Kevlar or other materials that areresistant to perforation and penetration. While this can be done for theouter shell as well, in some applications it may be beneficial to allowperforation of the outer shell so that the displacement of the occupantis limited.

The outer shell may be attached to the vehicle using conventionalmethods.

-   -   FIG. 12-14 represent some features for head support for lateral        impact. Head support: Some embodiments may have a separate head        rest with side wings having a microcosm of the same architecture        tuned to the mass and related inertial loading of the head. This        will require stiffer shock absorbers at the front of the wings        and softer shock absorbers towards the rear of the wings on each        side of the head for side impact protection so that the head is        ensconced by the support. The head support may be mounted o        neither the inner or outer shell. IF mounted on the inner shell        the shock absorber mechanism will augment the movement induced        by the main shock absorber system acting on the inner shell.    -   The Flex plate architecture of FIGS. 15 and 16 provide yet        another approach for shock absorbtion for side impact.    -   These may be complemented in some embodiments with sliding        arrangements at the bottom of the child seat with a pivotal        attachment (in some embodiments spring loaded) for rotation.    -   Anchors along rear spine of inner shell to the outer shell (as        in the Bunge Sling embodiment) allow lateral movement of the        inner shell but limit forward movement for support during front        impact. (FIG. 19.)

Another aspect of the invention disclose here is a “bunge sling” whichis a special form of the connection means noted above with a springdamper combination that is attached at its first end to the inner shellat the back of the occupant and attached at its other end to the outershell or the vehicle. In the event of a frontal impact this bunge slingallows limited motion forward of the occupant support and the occupantwith a harness installed, and thereby reduces the peak acceleration ofthe thorax and head during frontal impact of the vehicle. The otherconnection means may continue to operate or disconnect during thismotion.

-   -   Another series of embodiments of the dynamic child seat in this        invention uses reaction bearings both at the back and the sides        on surfaces on the dynamic or moving shell to guide the shell in        the desired direction to reorient the child in an impact.    -   The Rear bearing is spring mounted as shown to accommodate the        vertical shock at impact but retain the seat in the desired        direction soon thereafter by damping the energy of the impact.        The side bearings are also spring loaded with the long spring        axles that they are mounted upon.    -   These are principally actions that are used to mitigate the        lateral impact situations by reducing the peak acceleration of        the occupant and reorienting the occupant in such an impact.    -   The Bunge sling at the back of the seat is operative at the time        of a front impact by deforming to allow the top of the seat to        move forward. The bottom of the seat under the base is fixed to        a pivot that will allow this motion. The result is a damped        front impact loading.

Preferred Embodiment—Dynamic Child Seat

The embodiment of a dynamic child seat that rotates about asubstantially vertical axis on side impact and moves forward on frontimpact controlled by a Bunge Sling. The Figures show the position of theseatshell is during impact and is show rotated away from the side impactdirection. It also shows the placement of the frame on the base and thenotch that engages the frame for lateral stability. The pillow pads thatsupport the head laterally and the rear head rest are not shown but therotated position of the seat shell shows the left side arm of the headassembly ensconcing the head in the impact position.

FIG. 36 shows the embodiment of the dynamic child seat with theattachment to the tether marked and the slide bar shown with one or morepins that engage a sliding surface on the seat shell to allow rotationabout the impact rotation axis. The pins (not shown) (which may bespring mounted) limit vertical motion of the seat shell. It also showsPairs of feet on either side support the frame in front. A lateral bar(not shown) engages the slot shown and is spring loaded to be in therear position of the slot normally in can be drawn forward manually tothe front of the slot to disengage one of the multiple slots in the twotowers attached to the base thereby changing the height of the front ofthe frame and the resulting inclination. And the pivot for inkling theseat frame particularly in the rear facing position.

FIG. 37 shows the dynamic child seat frame. The Upper and lower channelshown house spring damper assemblies—one on each side.

The Upper edge of one or both the channels that support the springdamper assembly has a slightly inclined top surface with a lower frontedge so that when the pin or flange attached to the seat and supportingthe Spring damper assembly rises on the side away from the impact it iscaptured by the slot preventing a rocking of the seat and channeling theenergy to rotation about a near vertical axis. Also shown is the slotthat houses a front brace that has a sliding surface and a pin both ofwhich rides on a sliding surface coaxial with the impact rotation pivotshown. The pin engages the slot in the surface to prevent verticalmotion of the seat at its edge during impact. This pin may be springloaded to return the impact energy if raised, to the seat for itsrotation. Also shown is the Pivot-impact rotation axis that may have aspring mount to allow a short axial displacement for redeploying theinitial impact loading that can tend to rotate the seat about ahorizontal axis. Notably the Pivot is designed such that on front impactthe axis can bend or tilt forward and work in conjunction with the BungeSling to control the motion of the occupant in a front impact.

FIG. 38 shows the end of the upper channel that provides the reactionsurface for the spring damper assembly during rotation of the framefollowing side impact.

FIG. 39 shows the cavity for metal reinforcement that is an extension tothe tether support. the metal strip extends in this embodiment to wrapover the lower pivot hinge. This provides a rigid connection between thetether and the pivot rod at the bottom that is connected to the latches.

FIG. 40 Dynamic Child Seat—Headrest Height Adjust Arm. 1. The actuationlever in the normal position will be away from the back of the headassembly support stalk and be depressed towards the head rest supportstalk to disengage the pins and move the head rest.

2. In other embodiments, with the pins located between the actuationlever and the pivot the normal position of the actuation lever will benext to the head assembly support stalk and be pulled out to disengagethe pins.

In case 1. above a safety catch can be created (either pivotally orslidably attached to the stalk or the lever to fall between the stalkand the lever and color or marks indicating this position for safety.

In case 2. a safety catch may be pivotally or slidably attached to thestalk to capture (with a loop) the lever for the safe position.codingbeing visible.

The Pivot for the height adjustment arm would usually be spring loadedto engage the socket holes in the normal position. The pivot in thisembodiment is on the head assembly support stalk. However it may also besupported on the seat shell with multiple sets of holes on the headassembly support stalk to allow different heights.

The Actuation lever is shown.

Pins engage corresponding holes in the head rest support stalk to whichthe height adjustment arm is attached. It also engages multiple sets ofsuch holes on the sheath on the seat shell containing the head assemblysupport stalk, thereby allowing multiple positions for the height of theseat support stalk on the seat shell.

FIG. 41 Dynamic Child Seat—Head Assembly support stalk. Shows:

Pivot for attachment of the headrest height adjustment arm

Pivot support for attachment of the rear head rest. The rear headrest ispivoted to allow greater conformity with the rear of the head and neck.

The ends of the side arms support the pillow-pads (not shown) thatprovide lateral support for the child's head and face. Many embodimentsallow the attachment to be pivoted about a substantially vertical axisso that it can tilt back on side impact thereby containing the head.

Pin holes (not shown) will be arranged in a line to accommodate the pinson the headrest height adjusting arm. These same pin holes will engagemultiple sets of holes on the sheath at the back of the seat shell toallow multiple positions of the Head Assembly SupportStalk on the Seatshell.

FIG. 42 Dynamic Child Seat—Seat shell assembly. Shows:

Pins that may engage one or both sides of the sheath on the seat shellhousing the head assembly support stalk.

Inner edge of spring damper assembly which is secured to the seat shell.Some embodiments have a flange that engages the slot on the frame with asmall clearance.

Headrest height adjustment arm

Position in some embodiments of the right spring damper assembly.Similar assemblies will be on the left and at the lower position asindicated on the frame.

Head assembly support stalk

FIG. 43, 44 Dynamic Child Seat—Base. Shows:

Notches that capture frame in lowest (front facing) position

Pivot for tilting the frame when seat is in the rear facing position

Pair of towers with notches that engage a lateral bar on the frame fordifferent inclinations of the frame on the base. The frame will pivot onthe rear Pivot

Sides beveled for car seat shape

FIG. 45 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Sling Assembly. Shows:

The Bunge Sling that stretches out on front impact to damp acceleration.Rear center of Bunge sling is attached to the frame.

The Bunge Pin that slides inside Bunge Pin Slot attached to seat shell.On side impact the pin slides out. On front impact the pin engages theslot to provide a reactive force. Some embodiments of the slot have adepression on the inner surface of the slot that the pin will move intoon motion of the slot forward on front impact, thereby securing the pinfurther in the slot.

FIG. 46 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Sling Assembly. Shows:

Bunge slot that engages Bunge pin during front impact and allows thebunge pin to slide out of the sides during a side impact.

Bunge slot has a cut out to avoid contact with the headrest heightadjustment arm

Support of the Bunge slot to the seat shell straddles the head assemblysupport stalk and its housing on the seat shell.

FIG. 47 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Sling. Shows:

Each of the two side that in their center attach to the frame and theseat shell respectively.

One or more points for securing bunge sling some embodiments use a holeand securing pin.

The sides of the Bunge sling stretch out as the two support points arepulled apart. The materials are designed to provide energy absorptionand elastic properties to minimize injury for the occupant.

FIG. 48 Dynamic Child Seat—Bunge Slot. Shows:

The depression in this embodiment engages the Bunge Pin on front impactto secure it further. The normal position of the Bunge pin will notengage the depression.

Support points on Shell. Bunge slot is secured at points that straddlethe head assembly support stalk. In other embodiments it can be securedcloser to the center if slots are created in the head assembly supportstalk.

Cut out prevents contact from the head rest height adjustment arm.

ADDITIONAL EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the embodiments of Ser. No. 11/639,088 this embodimenthas a additional feature designed to relocate the occupant support awayfrom the impact in the event of an intrusion into the vehicle in thevicinity of the vehicle support mechanism. One such embodiment shallhave a push rod that has its end protruding from the side of the subbase on the outer side of the seat facing the intrusion such that asignificant intrusion will depress the push rod, and the other end ofthe push rod designed to decouple the attachment of the shock absorberfrom its end 239 B as in FIG. 43 of that application. The push rod beingsupported by the sub base body. In the invent of an intrusion thatdepresses the end of the push rod, the shock absorber gets decoupledalong with the crush bar and the shell with the occupant is free toslide on the slides to the extent necessary up to the end of the sidebars on the sub base. Depression of the crush bar or the push rod alonewill also permit the relocation to reduce crush injury.

With reference to the embodiments of Ser. No. 11/639,088 this embodimenthas an additional feature wherein the pillow pads pivot on the supportaxis and are spring damper loaded for that motion. This providesadditional shock absorption of the head in a frontal impact as the twopillow pads support the head and the head moves downwards about theoccipital condoyle and the neck vertebral joints thereby rotating thespring damper loaded pillow pads with them.

With reference to the embodiments of Ser. No. 11/639,088 this embodimenthas a additional feature wherein the pillow pads are spring damperloaded along the axis of the support axis. Thereby in the lateral impactthe pillow pads are also adapted to move laterally and reduce the peakacceleration and the resulting potential injury.

CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS & SCOPE

It will become apparent that the present invention presented, provides anew structures for greater convenience comfort and safety for users.Each embodiment has its unique benefits and offer new paradigms in thisinvention.

1. An occupant support system in a vehicle adapted to reorient theoccupant upon inertial loading by the occupant on the occupant supportsystem such that the reaction force of the occupant support system onthe occupant is distributed over one or both of: a larger surface areaof the occupant; and a larger time period, thereby reducing injury tothe occupant.
 2. An occupant support system as in claim 1, wherein saidreorientation of the occupant occurs in at least one movable shelldirectly or indirectly attached to at least one part of the occupantanatomy, said reorientation occurring relative to a static shellattached to the vehicle.
 3. An occupant support system as in claim 1,wherein said reorientation is enabled by the distortion of at least oneof multiple support elements each with two ends and with a first endattached to one of said movable shells and the second end attached tothe static shell attached to the vehicle.
 4. An occupant support systemas in claim 3, wherein one of said multiple support elements comprises apivot.
 5. An occupant support system as in claim 3, wherein one of saidmultiple support elements comprises a pair of sliding or rollingsurfaces with at least one surface attached to a movable shell.
 6. Anoccupant support system as in claim 3, wherein said reorientation isenabled by the distortion of at least two of said multiple supportelements.
 7. An occupant support system as in claim 6 wherein a relativedistortion of the two support elements are enabled by differentialmaterial properties.
 8. An occupant support system as in claim 6 whereina relative distortion of the two support elements are enabled bydifferential shapes of said elements.
 9. An occupant support system asin claim 3, wherein one of said distorting support elements is aBunge-Sling
 10. An occupant support system as in claim 3, wherein one ofsaid distorting support elements is a compression shock absorber.
 11. Anoccupant support system as in claim 3, wherein one of said distortingsupport elements is a tension shock absorber.
 12. An occupant supportsystem as in claim 3, wherein one of said distorting support elements isa Flex-Plate.
 13. An occupant support System as in claim 1, comprisingone movable shell which is a frame wherein said frame comprises elementsthat are attached to the upper torso, upper legs and lower legs, whereinsaid elements are adapted to move relative to each other to adiscretionary position of the occupant.
 14. An occupant support systemas in claim 9, wherein the attachment of the Bunge-Sling to one of thefixed and movable shells is rigid and the other for the attachments iswith a sliding arrangement that allows lateral movement during lateralimpact but engages during a front impact.
 15. An occupant support systemas in claim 1, wherein a movable shell is attached to the each of thesides of the head of the occupant and said support elements are attachedto a moveable shell attached to the torso of the occupant, therebyenabling relative motion between the head and the torso of the occupantduring lateral inertial loadings.
 16. An occupant support system as inclaim 15 wherein said movable shells on each of the two sides of thehead of the occupant are attached to a single slide element which isslidably connected to the movable shell attached to the torso of theoccupant, thereby permitting variation in the height of the movableshells attached to the sides of the head of the occupant.
 17. Anoccupant support system as in claim 16, further comprising a pivotingarm, pivotally attached to the single slide element and comprising pinsthat engage with a set of holes on the slide element and to multiplecorresponding sets of holes on the movable shell supporting the torso ofthe occupant, thereby enabling the engagement of the pins in one of thesets of holes in the movable shell attached to the torso of theoccupant, to set the height of the movable shells on either side of thehead of the occupant.